San Diego Congress members ask for independent investigation into USS Abraham Lincoln deployment

Caleb Lunetta, The San Diego Union-Tribune on Aug 17, 2026

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San Diego’s Democratic congressional delegation on Monday requested an investigation into the monthslong deployment of the locally based USS Abraham Lincoln following reports of sailors living in deplorable conditions while serving on the longest consecutive stretch at sea without a port call in modern U.S. military history.

U.S. Congressmembers Scott Peters, Juan Vargas, Mike Levin and Sara Jacobs, as well as California U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, have asked the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General to “undertake an independent review of the processes, rationale, and decisions surrounding the extended deployment” of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the strike group it is leading.

The Lincoln, based out of Naval Air Station North Island, and Carrier Strike Group 3 have been deployed for more than 240 days and at sea for more than 200.

In a letter, the lawmakers asked the Inspector General about supply shortages on the ship, the sailors’ training and mental health support for the extended deployment, and how the Navy perceives the strike group’s future readiness.

The elected officials wrote that reports of food shortages, unsanitary conditions and a lack of other essential supplies put service members in “horrific conditions,” while also showing vulnerabilities in the military’s logistics.

“The San Diego military community is a linchpin of our nation’s Pacific strategy, and it will take significant effort to restore morale and capacity after the strike group comes back home,” the letter reads. “An independent review and recommendations for improvement would identify what happened and provide us with oversight tools to ensure the wellbeing of our constituents and safeguard our Navy.”

The letter to the OIG comes three days after members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, as well as the Democratic leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Defense, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth demanding answers about deteriorating conditions aboard the Lincoln. The San Diego lawmakers sent a similar letter last week.

The strike group left from San Diego on Nov. 21 to patrol the Indo-Pacific, but it diverted to the Middle East, arriving in January to support the U.S. war against Iran through blockades of the country’s ports.

In the last few weeks, the aircraft carrier garnered international attention as stories began to be reported by families of sailors who said the ship was suffering from food shortages, plumbing issues, a lack of supplies and plummeting morale.

A military official confirmed to the Associated Press that a sailor aboard the Lincoln went overboard in early August but that the person was quickly recovered, treated by the ship’s medical department and transferred off ship for follow-on care.

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao and military leadership held a town hall in Coronado earlier this month and heard from families of the sailors and Marines about alarming reports coming from those aboard the carrier.

The vessel, which can carry more than 5,000 sailors and Marines, was ordered last week to return to San Diego, and the Pacific-based USS George Washington was en route to replace it in the Middle East.

“The USS Abraham Lincoln crushed their deployment and will return home soon as part of a planned rotation,” Cao said in a statement posted on social media Friday. “Details will come but let me be clear: the safety and security of our Sailors and Marines always comes first. Mission accomplishment. Troop Welfare. This is how we lead.”

President Donald Trump said Friday that he believed the deployment was “not nearly long enough,” and on Monday he downplayed reports about food shortages on the ship, calling them “fake.”

“There is no question our young men and women have been pushed to their limits — but they have never broken,” Cao said. “However, it is clear, knowing the whole story, our force and their families are not victims. They are the epitome of American strength and resilience.”

An official return date for the carrier strike group and Lincoln has not been announced, although the trip back to San Diego typically takes about three weeks.

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